“If this had been a permanent position, I probably wouldn’t have considered applying, and the client probably wouldn’t have been looking for someone with my profile either. However, after the assignment was completed, the client said that they had got more than they dared hope for,” says Interim Manager Sanna Reunanen.
Sanna Reunanen is a change management and business professional, who has worked in large organizations such as Viaplay, MTV3, and TV4 SE. She has always been fascinated by driving change and developing business, mainly related to digitalization and transformation. In January 2023 she was engaged as interim CEO for GT Musiikkiluvat Oy (GTM) in Finland: “I came to a breaking point where I decided that I had seen enough of the corporate world, at least for a while, and wanted to do something different. Interim leadership and project-based working suits me, and I took on the role as interim CEO for GTM.”
GTM is an international company with about 20 employees in Finland, handling the sales, marketing and billing of background music licences, as well as providing customer service and support. During the time of a permanent recruitment of a new CEO, the company decided to engage an Interim Manager to bridge the gap and to ensure to not lose momentum. Although the assignment was not focused on cultural changes or business development projects, these issues were also progressing rapidly during the assignment. Thanks to Sanna, the new CEO could start working with an organization that was already prepared for a new direction.
Sanna’s 5 Insights about Interim Management
- An Interim Manager can be a real superpower in a company, a turbocharged engine capable of driving and growing the business forward. Interim Managers are motivated people who get things done from day one.
- Having an outside perspective at the same time as you work inside the business is an excellent combination. The Interim Manager brings insights from outside the company and the industry but works from within the organization and its needs.
- Focus, focus, focus. When you enter a situation temporarily and with a clear objective, the focus is on doing things effectively and delivering results. In practice, any unnecessary or non-essential meta-work can be left out.
- Interim assignments mean variety and change. Interim assignments are like a honeymoon. The Interim Manager has great passion, engagement, and drive to get things done. There is no time for levelling off or fatigue.
- Diverse experience in different business sectors strengthens the Interim Manager’s knowledge and understanding. As an Interim Manager, you also get to go out of your comfort zone and have the opportunity to see sectors and organizations that you might not otherwise be exposed to.
Sanna Reunanen tells us that she sees this way of working as the future: “There are a lot of companies that don’t need a full-time employee to solve their challenges. For smaller companies, a temporary professional can often be enough. I firmly believe that skills and knowledge will be acquired and utilized differently in the future than they are today. I urge companies to see Interim Managers as growth enablers, and I hope that they will have more courage to use interim services. I was very happy with my assignment, and it was worth taking the plunge into a new way of working. I will definitely be looking to expand my expertise in new industries and new companies in the future.”